Absolute Power

She's beautiful, young, rich, and drunk. He's older, powerful, and a brute. He turns sex into torture and she defends herself. He cries for help, and she dies.

It's a woman's nightmare -- a man she knows and trusts hits her, hurts her, ignores her fear (and human rights) and when she tries to defend herself, she is punished. She dies. And no-one comes to her aid.

She is killed, and the world watches, a little horrified, but unmoving.

If Clint Eastwood won't defend you, what chance do you have? Especially since this film concerns itself with the fate of the unmoving man behind the mirror (a jewel thief played by Eastwood), not the victim.

Movie poster, Absolute Power, Festivale film review

Search for:

UK's largest videos store

Eastwood directs an able case in this crime-political intrigue film. Ed Harris gives his usual sterling performance as the super-smart detective -- if you haven't been paying attention to this actor you have missed quite a lot of good cinema.

Hackman is immensely believable as an untrustworthy president of the United States.

America has embraced the fact that their idols are false and Hollywood is trotting out cover-ups and sex crimes as fast as the cameras can roll. Why not? The essence of tragedy is the great one, brought down by a single tragic character flaw. Except that in this film, the president of the US is a grasping, vicious, selfish well, he has more than one character flaw.

We do not feel the loss of the young woman. We do not experience the profound guilt of the man who could have saved her. The one person who feels guilt is too far from the camera, we do not share his pain. What this film offers in possibilities, Eastwood does not explore.

There aren't really any surprises in this film -- it's formula all the way, but well enough played.

Movie images, sounds, and video clips are
solely owned by their respective companies. No other uses are permitted without the prior written consent of owner. Use of the material in violation of the foregoing may result in civil and/or criminal penalties.